355ml bottle. Paddock Wood's Belgian-style winter ale persists into a third year, apparently, with much more appreciable availability in Alberta than in the (few) years past.

This beer pours a clear, medium red-brick amber hue, with one finger of thinly foamy, runny beige head, which leaves a low island headland profile of lace around the glass as it hastily recedes.

It smells of sweet, bready, ginger snaps, as if they've just come from the oven, and are piping cold - brown sugar-saturated, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon-enhanced all, with a mild drying leafiness trying in vain to overcome the inevitable here. The taste is more sweet bready caramel malt, sugary cloves, all-spice, cinnamon, and star anise, some additional brown sugar, and faintly bitter earthy, weedy hops.

The carbonation is mildly frothy, and generally supportive, the body a sturdy medium-full weight, and smooth, but with a wee alcoholic prick, which is verily encapsulated therein. It finishes still rather sweet, the combined efforts of the cookie-like malt and spice hard to shake, though a hallow yeast and earthy hoppiness does give it ol' ill-fated college try.

A decent, enjoyable rendering of a style by a Canadian Prairie micro-brewer, of a style and interpretation usually best left to the experts in that country, whose name in Galactic-speak, is one of the crudest vulgarities known to man (and otherwise). Having no shame myself, I say, Belgium!

Taste - The cloves from aroma are present in the taste as well as the hint of the black pepper. The candied sugar flavour is a pleasant surprise. Slight bitterness at the end but does not take away from the drinkability.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with good carbonation and tingly bubbles.

Overall - A good representation of a winter ale from Paddock Wood. I don't have any previous batches to compare with (the one I'm sampling is the 2011). The ingredients balance well and it's nice to have a winter ale with a different spice palate (not as much cinnamon and nutmeg).

T some cola and more spice I can't place, some herbal, earthy hops, lots of dark bread, a little nutty toffee, not quite everything the nose had going on but solid nonetheless

M not as heavy as I would've guessed but the bubbles fluff it up, just a little heat with a spicy, yeasty finish

O I could've gone higher on the nose or taste so slightly inflated here, solid brew that's easy to drink for 8%, could use a little age I'm guessing but its drinking well today

tastes like a dubbel with a little winter spice, I'm a little surprised I've never picked this up before, for some reason I never look twice at Paddock Wood on the shelf but perhaps I should as they rarely disappoint

The winter ale offering from my favorite prairie micro-brewery is a Belgian dubbel and it was nice to see this show up in Calgary liquor stores in time for Christmas. A darkish brick-red brew with almost maroon highlights, little in the way of a head on this but who cares really. Smells of rich malt complexity, molasses, burnt candi sugar, bakery shop spices, and hints of dried dark fruit. Taste is malty, earthy, and moderately spicy, with the latter notes recalling caraway and hence rye bread, anise seed, and amped-down sweet cloves. Tastes like a chocolate bock with some Belgian yeast and dark fruit character. There's another interesting undercurrent as well, a fruity almost sulfurous ghost that recalls coconut flakes. Fairly dry finish includes a nutty bitterness and some hay-like cured grass hops. Although the expected spicy character is present, the malts are more assertive, at least to my palate. Not brewed in Belgium and tastes accordingly but still has its own unique charms. I think I will age the remaining two bottles for a while.

Bold sweet dubbel. Unfiltered, dark brown.Some fudge. Yeasty and sweetness,dark fruit, rich as it is and likely will get better in a few years.Not very complex but worth having.Malty aroma. A sipper, i got through it, others may not. Thanks Presario.